Terminal conductor



1942- E. H. AYERS 2,269,241

' TERMINAL CONDUCTOR 7 Filed Dec/24, 1940 i lnventori Edgar H. A efs,

JV 4) is zzbofney.

Patented Jan. 6. 1942 min; 11. am, Schenectady, s. nammar at General Electric Company, a corporation of New. York Application December 24, 19.40; aus ge-,1

- 40mm,. (carts-e 59 'My' invention relates to terminal conductors and is particularly applicable to binding for electricdevices such as electric control apparatus, electricv measuring instruments and the like.

vide a terminalof simple and inexpensive construction which may be readilyv andreasily at tached to and'detached from an insulating baseportion of'an electric device. r

My invention will 1 be better understood, and

T The principal object of -my invention'isto pros f ing and the like.

further objects' and advantages will'jbeapparent, I from the following description taken in;conjunction with the accompanying .drawing, inwhich Fig.1 is a side elevational view, taken in section, of a terminal conductor embodying. my invention; and Fig. 2 is a view similar to thatof Fig. l showing the terminalflconductor in clamping position. I

' Referring now to lthe drawing the part ill rep-1 resentsaportion of an insulating support for. an electric device such as an electric control apparatus or measuring instrument. Asshown, the;

insulating support I 0 'is. provided with 18.11 "aper ture II for the reception of a binding screw l2. A resilient contact member I3 of conducting ma-. terial is formed in theshapeoi a 'U .having a base portion of greaterlength than the thickness of the support ill. By way of example, the length of the-base portion may be approximately twice the thickness of the support- IIL. Thesidesof the U-shaped member are not parallel in un' clamped position, but 1 are normally. biased into converging relation with .each other to such an extent that, when the member It is slipped over. the end of the base portion III, the extremities of its side portions exert a clamping action upo This s the support In, as at I4 and" in Fig.1. clamping action is sumcient to insure the retention of the contact member I! onthe support III even though the binding screw l 2 be removed. For reception of the screw I2 one side of the U-shaped member I3 is provided with an aperture It in alignment with the aperture II in the support It. I'I'he opposite side of the, member I3 is provided with a boss ll having a threaded aperture therein to form ,a nut for thebinding.

screw l2.

An incoming wire. ll is shown looped around the shank of the binding s'c'rew l2 between the head I! of the screw and one side of the U- shaped contact member It. A turned over portion 20 of the member l-I forms a hook adapted shaped member when iniits clamplngposition has-twovery advantageous eifects. 'In the first place; the side of the contact memberjlt adJacent the screw head-l8 exerts a-cla lns action wire such as by any other suitable meanssuch as spot weld- Whenthe binding; screw l: .is tightened mm a pin sitio .a cw a. 2.1t U- shaped contact, member I I; assumes the [position there shown ,inwhichithe sides of -the member I}, are drawn together and. the major portions thereof are I forced against Etheir bias, into en- 'gagement-withf-the substantially parallel sides of the support I02 1 The support 'lllthus maintains thesides of the contactmember spaced apart by. V a distance equal to the. thickness 'of'the support.

The; contact member ll .is suiliciently resilient that it willassuxneits initial shape,- shown. in Fig. l', if the binding screw; Iris released. This tend-.-

encyto assume the shape ofl i g. lis expressed as a force ,exerted by the bent portions 22 and 23 oithecontactmember tending to raise the sides of the contact member away from the support It. :The spring pressure thus exerted by the U- against the under side of the head',"=-whereby the wire. "is held-'indlrmicontact regardless of whether the binding screw I2 is drawnup to its fullest extent.

Secondly, the resilience of the U-shaped contact member It has the same effect as a lock washer uponthe threaded rens'a ement between the binding screwiland the threaded boss ll. Thislocking action upon thebinding screw prevents it from becoming loosened by vibration. 7 a

It will now beapparent that my terminal con duotor consists .of a minimum number. of parts t and makes optimum use of materials, while providing a terminal connection of great simplicit; and eminently satisfactory performance.

While I have shown only one preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood of to receive a wire II, which may be an outgoing course that I do not wish to be limited thereto since various modifications will occur to those j skilled in the 'art and I, therefore; contemplate by the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

WhatIclaimasnewanddesireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

the end'of an-operating coil of an electrlctdevice. -5,As; sh0wn inFig.'-2. the wire ll may be nrmly 'flxed in the turned over portion 2 'bypeeningpventheendof the portion 2|.

desired'of course,the wire 2] may be fastened port, said base separating the opposite ends of said sides at their juncture with said base by a distance substantially greaterthan the thickness oi the support, one of said sides being provided with an internally threaded aperture and the other of said sides'being provided with an member being biased into converging relation with each other and'into clamping engagement with said support thereby Irictionally to hold said contact member upon said suppor each of the sides 01' said U-shaped member having an I v aperture in alignment with the aperture in said aligned aperture, and a clamping screw passing through said apertures and said support to connect said sides and having a head portion coopcrating with one of said sides for drawing said.

sides'toward each other into clamping engagement with said support throughout substantially their entire lengths, said sides having sumcient resiliency to resume substantially said straight'shapes when said clamping screw is removed thereby to lock said clamping screw and to form with said head portion a clamp for receiving an electric conductor.

2. In combination with a support, a terminal conductor for clamping engagement therewith comprising a substantially U-shaped member made of resilient electrically'conducting material, said U-shaped member being provided with a base and with two straight sides converging toward each other from said base to their ends to embrace said support, the ends of said sides being spaced apart a distance somewhat less than the thickness of said support so that said ends iricti'onally hold said member on the support, said base separating the opposite ends 01' said sides at their juncture with said base a distance at least per cent greater than the thickness of the support, and a screw clamping member cooperating with said sides for drawing said sides toward each other into clamping engagement with the support throughoutsubstantially their entire lengths, said sides having sumcient resiliency to resume substantially said straight shapes when said clamping means is removed thereby to lock said screw clamping member.

3. In combination, an insulating support having a transverse aperture therein, a resilient U- shaped contact member fitting over the end oi said support and having a base substantially wider than said support, the sides of said contact support, a binding screw received within said apertures and threadingly engaging one of said apertures to draw said sides into parallel spaced relation, the head 01' said binding screw being adjacent said aperture in said one side 01! said U-shaped member and forming with said one side or said U- shaped member a clamp for the reception or an electric conductor, said contact member being suinciently resilient to assume substantially its original shape after removal of said screw and to remain in frictional engagement with said support.

4. In combination with an insulated support,

having a transverse aperture therein, a terminal conductor ior'clamping engagement with said support comprising a substantially; U-shaped member made of resilientelectrically conducting material, said U-shaped member being provided with a base and with two straight sides converging toward each other from said base to their ends, the ends of said sides being spaced apart a distance somewhat'less than the thickness of said support thereby to engage said support on opposite sides thereof and frlctionally hold said' U-shaped member upon said support, one of said-sides having an aperture in alignment with't-he aperture in said support, a boss located on the opposite side 01 said U-shaped member in alignment with said aperture and provided with a threaded aperture, said baseseparating the opposite ends or said sides at their juncture with said' base by a distance substantially greater than the thickness of said support, a clamping screw received within said apertures and threadingly engaging said threaded. aperhim said binding screw being provided witha head adjacent said aperture in saidone side" of said U-shaped member to draw said biased sides together into parallel spaced relation and into engagement with said support for substantially their entire lengths thereby to form with one of said sides a clamp for the reception or an electric conductor, said opposite side of said U- shaped member by its resilience providing locking engagement between said screw and said threaded boss.

' EDGAR H. AYERS. 

